F.G.S. - Blog

Spontaneous Breakage

Spontaneous Breakage may occur in heat treated glass for a number of reasons. Small chips, gouges, or other after fabrication surface disruptions may cause changes to the glass structure. With the influence of wind or thermal stresses, a possibility of breakage may occur.

According to the American Society For Testing And Materials, "Heat treated glass will break when the compression layer is penetrated. Surface or edge chips, scratches, gouges, or spalls which do not completely penetrate the compression layer can slowly be propagated by thermal or wind cycling and result in breakage from no apparent cause day or months after damage has occurred, lending to a mysterious light to the breakage."

In addition, small particles of the original material which have not fully melted during the production process, may also lead to spontaneous breakage at some future time. These particles are often to small to be seen by the naked eye.

According to the American Society For Testing And Materials, "Foreign inclusions in the finished glass product, such as limestone particles, fire brick particles from the furnace walls or roof, or nickel sulfide stones (crystals) may also cause breakage under certain rare circumstances. these foreign or undissolved objects are always present in the glass batch, but they are generally so small as to not be visible."